


Haven't You Noticed? I'm A Star

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [7]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Best Friends, First Time Gem Fusion, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fusion, Gen, Happy Ending, Homeworld au, Humor, I Am My Mom Gone Wrong, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memory Loss, Memory Loss Mention, OC Perspective, One Shot, Past Character Death, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Renegades Steven Universe AU, SU Homeworld AU, post-IARQ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 08:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26469871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: They stuck their tongue out and smirked down at their reflection. "Heya, good lookin'. Come here often?"| Post-IARQ (I Am Rose Quartz.)
Relationships: Amethyst & Berry, Amethyst & Original Gem Character(s) (Steven Universe), Amethyst & Steven Universe, Garnet & Berry, Garnet & Original Gem Character(s) (Steven Universe), Garnet & Steven Universe, Greg Universe & Original Gem Character(s), Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Lemon Lime & Berry, Pearl & Berry, Pearl & Original Gem Character(s) (Steven Universe), Pearl & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Berry, Steven Universe & Original Gem Character(s)
Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918204
Comments: 27
Kudos: 37





	Haven't You Noticed? I'm A Star

"Ugh… what…"

Something was different, but they couldn't figure it out just yet. _They_ were different, they knew that. "Berry?" A hand raised slightly, touching their head. This was way off. They were so… disoriented. Everything was fuzzy, blurry. The world was tilting and spinning dangerously around them, but the only thing they could think of right then was their companion. Berry… _Steven…?_ "Hybrid…" They mumbled, letting their hand trail down to their stomach instead. Slowly, their eyes lowered - something else was wrong there, too, but they couldn't figure it out quite yet - to stare at the gem embedded in their stomach, a glowing, shimmering pink. It pulsed under their fingertips as they lightly brushed against it, only to dim after a moment, the glow dying down. A part of them seemed to relax, familiar with the gem on their stomach. But another part of them tensed slightly upon seeing it, a faint stirring in the back of their mind that told them it wasn't right. That the gem wasn't supposed to be there, and it wasn't supposed to be pink. It was…

"Wrong," they mumbled to themself, lifting their hand away from the gem on their stomach. Their arms lifted, hands spread out in front of them. Two gloved hands rested in front of their face, palms up and facing away from them. And another gem sat on the back of their left hand, glimmering just as brightly as the pink one had. It was red, and, once again, a part of them felt familiar with it there - but another part of them was startled to see it, to feel the deep humming, the vibrations it was sending through their body. It wasn't like the gentle, steady pulsing of the pink gem that they knew. It burned bright like a fire, a rush of pure energy to their very core.

The realization set in quickly. "Oh my stars…" They turned, slowly spinning around and holding their hands up in front of them again. Two pairs of arms stretched out this time, four hands stretched out in front of them. Two of them gloved, two of them bare. Their skin was a light red, almost pinkish; darker than Berry's but certainly much more colorful than Steven's. They had Steven's shorts, they noted, looking down at themself. Their outfit was different - none of the Homeworld insignia, but the colors were there. A white crop-top, with tank-top like straps over their shoulders. It faded into pink with yellow outlines at the bottom of the outfit, cutting off just above their stomach. And around the Rose Quartz gemstone that rested perfectly in the center of their body, a yellow star rested, with a circle in the center just big enough to reveal the gem. The star wasn't connected to anything, they realized. Nothing but their skin. It was just there.

"We fused," the fusion whispered, lifting all four of their arms and spinning themselves around again. Their eyes raised, darting around the empty beach carefully. The yellow tint of their visor was odd, but it was easy to ignore in favor of the excitement brewing in the pit of their stomach. This was great. This was _amazing!_ They never thought it would feel so great to be them - well, of course not, they only just _became_ them, but it was still an amazing feeling. Looking down, they flexed their legs carefully. Just two of those, they noted, taking a step forward and grinning. No limb enhancers. Oh, but how _tall_ were they? They definitely felt taller. Briefly, they stretched up on the tips of their toes before letting themself rock back again, nodding slowly as they did.

They giggled, rocking forward on their feet after a second, and rushed forward.

Making their way across the beach, they found themself at the edge of the water, looking down to check out their reflection. To say they were impressed would have been an understatement; they'd known they looked _good_ , of course, but they didn't know they looked _this_ good. Four eyes stared down at them through the visor covering the top of their face, one pair red, the other brown. A tiny smirk tugged at the corner of their lips, taking a step forward and leaning over the water to get a closer look, lifting a hand to trace their jawline silently. They still had a scar, but it looked a little more faded against the darker skin they were used to seeing it on. Then, slowly, they raised a hand to their hair again. Definitely curlier, and definitely much more than there was. Most of it was pulled back into a ponytail, hanging down against their back. It had the dark red color Berry's did, but with brown streaks through the wild curls. "Ooh, shards…" They stuck their tongue out and smirked down at their reflection. "Heya, good lookin'. Come here often?"

After a moment of staring down at their reflection, the fusion let out a grunt and looked away again, wrinkling their nose and shrugging their shoulders. "'Kay. Yeah. That was kinda weird." Sparing a sneaky glance back toward the water, and offering another small smile, they added, "but I am pretty hot, ain't I?" Stretching two of their arms over their head, the fusion turned away and swept their gaze around, pausing and taking in everything with a curious expression. "Now… oh…!" They lifted their head toward the beach house, eyes stretching wide with excitement as they stared at the structure ahead of them. "Oh, I have to tell everybody- and! And I have to tell Garnet! She's gonna be so excited to meet… uh…" They trailed off, pausing.

For a moment, they stood there, baffled. They didn't know who they were.

_Who are we…?_

"A Ruby…" They mumbled, lifting one of their left hands up. The gemstone glittered brightly with the sun beating down against it. "And a Rose Quartz… what does that make?" They muttered. Looking down, they rested their hand against their stomach, just beside the Rose Quartz gem. Staring, they glided their fingers across the star embedded in their skin around the gemstone.

Then, with a grin, they pulled their hand away to look at it more clearly. "Star Ruby," they murmured to themself, nodding slowly. They tested their new name out once again, thoughtfully, "I'm Star Ruby…" Star Ruby was a perfect name for them, they decided. And it was definitely the Berry part of them that had come up with it - she was certainly good at naming new fusions. Snorting out a laugh, they lifted their hands to brush their hair back, smirking to themself now. " _Now_ I can introduce myself properly. I can't believe I was about to walk in there without a name…" They snorted, crossing two arms over their chest and heading back toward the house. The excitement pulsing through them had yet to fade; if anything, it was just growing stronger and stronger the longer the fusion existed. From both Steven and Berry, they realized, too.

They smiled to themself. Good. They both deserved a break from all the stress they'd been under, have some excitement in their lives. Just a minute to relax. Just a minute to be _amazing_.

"We are amazing," Star Ruby murmured, hopping up the stairs two at a time with a grin. Turning, they looked up at the door, huffing out a quiet laugh. They really were tall, only a few inches shorter than the doorframe. They reached two hands out to open the door, but paused and pulled one back quickly. Moving was going to be difficult until they fell into a steady rhythm. The fusion carefully twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, ducking inside cautiously. Pearl was the first one they saw, and the first one to see them. The way the pale gem's mouth fell open was absolutely hilarious, the shock written across her face actually bringing a laugh from the fusion's lips as they took a step forward and spread their arms out, spinning around.

Amethyst was the first to jump to her feet, while Pearl just sat there in shock. The fusion beamed down at the purple Quartz as she rushed forward, an excited squeal escaping her lips. "Holy shit! Steven- Spitfire- you're- a fusion-!"

"Spitfire?" Star Ruby wondered aloud, staring down at the smaller gem.

"Berry, whatever," Amethyst corrected herself hurriedly, and Star Ruby narrowed their eyes faintly down at her, both dubious and somewhat irked by the nickname. Spitfire… okay, wait, no, actually, the more they thought about it, that was kind of cool. But they weren't going to say that. "So, you- oh my god- how does it feel? Steven… Berry… uh…" She leaned back slightly, a curious expression crossing her face. The fusion understood immediately; a faint smile tugged at the corners of their lips, rolling their eyes. Right, she was trying to come up with a name. That's what she had done before, right? With the other fusion. Steven and Connie… _Stevonnie._ Unfortunately for the little Quartz, she wouldn't have any luck there. They already had a name.

"Star," they introduced themself with an over-exaggerated bow, grinning. "Star Ruby, at your service, m'lady. It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of a lovely gem such as yourself." Smirking, they straightened up and spared Pearl a glance over Amethyst's head, grinning. "What'sa matter, Ma? Cat got'cha tongue? Can't exactly say I'd blame you, I think we'd leave everyone speechless…" They huffed out a chuckle despite themself. Oh, they loved this.

They loved being _them._

"You _fused_ ," Pearl breathed, pushing herself to her feet. She walked over to join Amethyst, and the fusion smiled down at them, allowing the - admittedly somewhat cocky - smirk fade into a warmer expression as they looked down at the pale gem. "This is… are you alright? I mean…"

"Hey, I'm fine," Star Ruby chuckled, folding their arms over their chest. "Steven and Berry too. They're both pretty excited right now, I think. That's a good thing, right? They deserve this," they added quickly, allowing a fond smile to cross their face again. "After everything that's happened…" Pausing, the fusion briefly flicked their gaze toward the kitchen, letting all four of their eyes rest on the dull, green gem resting on the pillow on the counter. They stared for a moment, letting the smile waver briefly, and lowered their shoulders a little, hesitating slightly.

"Well, you're certainly right! They deserve a break," Pearl sounded relieved, breathless with excitement. Star Ruby paused, keeping their eyes on the gem for a moment before they turned back to her, offering a warm smile in response. "So how does it feel to be you? To… exist?"

"Pretty great so far," Star Ruby admitted, thinking. It did feel pretty nice to be them. Not one person, not exactly two people either. Steven and Berry for sure, but also… just them. Just Star Ruby, and everything that they were. Everything the two gems loved, and hated, and enjoyed. Berry's fury, Steven's patience. Berry's intelligence, Steven's empathy. Everyone they loved. Everything they cared about. All of it combined, gently fused together so that Star Ruby could also experience the great joy that came with talking to their friends and family, so that they could experience Berry's unconditional, fierce loyalty and love without it needing to be spoken aloud. And, of course, their love for each other. Steven's respect and admiration, his gratitude, his love. Berry's silent desperation to protect him, the pain that swallowed her whole knowing that she couldn't, but the fondness she felt toward the hybrid being just enough to make her try anyway. The way they cared for each other, their friendship, their relationship, how they changed one another. Star Ruby was an embodiment of that, a physical representation of their friendship.

"Yeah," they whispered, smiling softly to themself. "Pretty great." They looked down at the other two, pausing to flick the brown pair of eyes upwards when Greg stirred on the couch. Looking in two different directions at once was disorienting, but something they figured they'd have to get used to. The red eyes were quick to glance up, following the brown pair's gaze toward Greg. "Morning, sleepy head," they called to the human, cracking a grin. "Did'ja get enough sleep?"

Greg stared at them, slowly pushing himself to sit up. They smirked, watching his eyes flick down to the gem on their stomach, mouth opening and eyes widening in shock. "Steven…?"

"No." Star Ruby paused, and wrinkled their nose. "Eh, not really. Half. Kinda." Once again, twirling around and stepping past Amethyst and Pearl, the fusion let themself sink into a bow, one arm crossed over their stomach, and another one extended toward Greg, turning their hand to show off the gem residing on the back of it with a chuckle. "Star Ruby, at your service."

"Oh my god," Greg mumbled, wide-eyed, as the fusion straightened up. "You fused…"

Star Ruby beamed, and paused, looking away again. " _E-yah._ Listen, hon, I'd love to stay and talk about, uh, me- 'cause you know, I really love me," they sighed dreamily, shaking their head. "But I've got a few other gems I'd like to show myself off to first, and then I can come back and you can shower me in all the love and attention and adoration I _clearly_ deserve." They chuckled, stretching, and rolled their shoulders back as they turned away from the others. Their eyes flicked down to the warp pad, a bright smile slowly crossing their face as they walked forward, hopping up onto the clear platform gracefully and spinning around with their arms up, beaming. "So, if anyone could pretty-pretty-please point me in Garnet's direction, I'd be oh-so grateful."

Amethyst snorted out a snicker, glancing past them. "Not anywhere that thing can take you," the purple Quartz offered a lopsided grin, eyes sparkling briefly. "But, speaking of the G squad…"

Star Ruby blinked and turned their head, eyes widening slightly as they watched the temple door open. Briefly, they caught a glimpse of what was inside - a dark room, mixes of reds and pinks, filled with bubbles of many different colors. For a second, the fusion almost destabilized, somewhat startled by the sight of them. But Steven and Berry settled quickly after a moment - and Star Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes at them despite themself. They loved them both, but they could really overreact sometimes. Berry didn't seem too surprised - at least, Star Ruby mused, she somewhat recognized the room. Steven had told her about the room where they bubbled and kept the corrupted gems. The hybrid was the one who had been too startled to function for a second, the sight of the bubbled gems sending him into a split-second panic. Actually, now that the fusion was thinking about it, they realized maybe it wasn't an overreaction, but they were still relieved when Berry managed to get the hybrid to settle again.

Amethyst burst out laughing, suddenly, and the fusion flinched and ripped their gaze away from the room, turning back quickly to watch the other two. "Look- look at Garnet's face, oh my god-" The purple gem gasped to Pearl, grabbing the pale gem's arm. Star Ruby paused, tilting their head for a moment. Familiar words, familiar situation. Slowly, they turned around to face Garnet, thankful that the temple door had sealed itself shut. The other fusion was just standing there, hands clasped over her mouth, covering a grin that spread so far across her face that Star Ruby genuinely wondered if it hurt. Now, that was also a familiar sight, one that excited the fusion.

"Heh…" They huffed out a quiet, almost nervous chuckle, stepping down from the warp pad. Briefly, they spread all of their arms out - then sank into a bow, just as they had done before. "A pleasure to meet you, love. Star Ruby, at your service-" They paused, peering up at her through their visor with a wide, excited smile, as the fusion lowered her hands and opened her mouth.

"Welcome to Earth, Star Ruby," Garnet breathed, almost breathless with excitement. She stepped forward, and Star Ruby straightened up, grinning. Wow, they really were tall. They were only a few inches shorter than Garnet herself, and that wasn't much. Especially when you compared Berry to the fusion - she'd definitely upgraded, that was for sure - and Steven wasn't exactly the tallest in the room, himself. He might have grown quite a bit, and he'd definitely outgrown the 'Shorty Squad', but he was still pretty short regardless. "You look amazing," Garnet told them, lifting a hand to diminish her own visor. Her eyes were sparkling, wide with excitement, glancing the fusion over carefully and allowing her grin to widen even further.

"Oh." Star Ruby smirked slightly at that. "I know." They lifted a hand, brushing their hair out of their face and offering Garnet a sweet smile. "Keep the compliments coming, love. They could both sure use them, am I right?" They huffed out a chuckle, leaning back and stretching two of their arms behind their head. Now, _that_ was the truth. They couldn't begin to describe the amount of guilt and self-loathing Steven felt, and… well, Berry didn't exactly hate herself, but the fusion couldn't say she was her own biggest fan either. At least _she_ wasn't drowning in guilt…

Garnet's lips twitched slightly, walking past them. "Do you like being you?"

"Of course!" Star Ruby spun around, excited, and followed after her. They hopped over the warp pad, letting their floating powers carry them for the most part to land on the other side. "I _love_ being me. I love _me_ in general," they boasted with a grin, spinning around and spreading all four of their arms out once again. Garnet turned to face them again, standing beside Pearl and Amethyst now, and the other two exchanged an amused glance between them as they went on, "I mean, come on, guys, I'm a _fusion_. I'm totally awesome! Now I'm just like you," they added, looking up at Garnet with wide eyes. The other fusion huffed out a laugh, shaking her head.

"No," she corrected gently. "You're like _you_. And now that you're here on Earth, free to be you whenever you want, you're allowed to explore and decide whoever _you_ truly are." Star Ruby grinned at that, rocking back on their feet, and Garnet winked her blue eye at them in response. "That's the beauty of Earth, Star Ruby. Nobody here is going to try to keep you apart."

"Though, I do suggest unfusing for mealtimes," Pearl chimed. "Unless you don't mind eating."

"Hon," Star Ruby sighed, wrinkling their nose. " _Hybrid_ minds eating, trust me. He doesn't like any of the crap you give him - uh, no offense, obviously," they added quickly, glancing at Amethyst. "Just, like, y'know. Flavor. Stuff like that. Not really his thing, if I'm being honest." At this, Amethyst arched an eyebrow and shrugged, as if to say 'that's fair', but Pearl tilted her head to one side, a curious look suddenly crossing her face. Star Ruby watched her, leaning back and stretching their arms up over their head again, before letting their hands drift down to cover their stomach. They folded their fingers carefully over the gem, lacing them together.

"I'm sure I could find something a little less… overbearing in the flavor department," Pearl murmured thoughtfully, lacing her own hands together and pressing both of her index fingers to her lips. Star Ruby arched an eyebrow at that, lightly rubbing their thumbs over Steven's gem.

"That, Ma, would be _very_ much appreciated," they muttered. "Taste is so _overwhelming."_ They were about to say more, mouth opened, ready to express exactly how much Steven hated food - but, before they had the chance to continue, the sound of the warp pad activating quickly tore the fusion's attention away. They turned quickly, spinning on their heels to face who had arrived, ready to offer their signature bow and greet them happily. But they paused once again upon seeing Lemon Lime - Candy wasn't there, just the Peridot now. And, briefly, the fusion faltered; at least, Berry seemed to falter, just a little. He looked just as exhausted as he had the past few days, the bags under his eyes a little more defined than they should have been. The fusion wavered, briefly, excitement fizzling out to a steady pulse of concern instead. "Hey, Lime…"

Lemon Lime stared at them, mouth opening, no sound coming out. The somewhat pained expression on his face turned blank, pupils shrinking slightly, just gawking at the fusion. "Steven…?" The Peridot paused, gaze darting toward their hand. " _Berry?_ Did you- two- fuse-?"

"Yyyyep." Star Ruby popped the 'p', spreading their arms out slightly. "Star Ruby at your service, Lemon Lime. Whaddya think?" They offered a smile, a little less cocky, a little more genuine.

"You're _amazing,_ " Lemon Lime uttered. Star Ruby blinked at him, watching a darker shade of green lightly dust across the Peridot's cheeks. For the first time in days, though, they saw a smile flit across his face, genuine and excited and _happy_. Steven, of course, was definitely glad to see that - but Berry's excitement, at the sight of Lemon Lime's smile, had practically been kicked into overdrive. Excitement, and relief, and gratitude, and something else that the fusion… couldn't quite place, not right then. Star Ruby hardly had any time to respond, to open their mouth, to offer a cocky reply in response to the Peridot. They felt their gems hum lightly, Berry's fiery pulsing and Steven's gentle humming falling into sync, and yet pulling apart at once.

"Whoops," they managed to mumble, just before they destabilized.

They fell apart quickly, but not violently. Steven did fall back, more startled than anything, but Berry somehow managed to steady herself on her feet. She was a lot shorter than she usually was, without her limb enhancers, but that didn't seem to be her concern right then. Wide eyes flicked rapidly between Steven and Lemon Lime, an expression that mostly held pure shock. Especially when the Peridot let out a quiet laugh, covering his mouth as he stared at the Ruby. "You're _tiny,"_ he marveled, snickering again. "I can't remember the last time I saw you like this-"

"Shut up!" Berry squealed, covering her face with her hands. Steven caught a glimpse of a much darker shade of red tinging her cheeks. "I am not _tiny_ , okay?! I am _compact!"_

"You're tiny," Lemon Lime crooned. "And you're adorable-"

"I will break you!"

Steven laughed, pushing himself up with his hands. Berry seemed to freeze, abruptly dropping her hands, and her head whirled around to face the hybrid so fast that he thought she might poof. In the next instant, her face had lit up completely; her eyes practically turned to stars, and the smile that spread across her face was wider and more excited than Steven had ever seen. "Oh my stars- _oh my stars-"_ The Ruby whirled around, while Steven busied himself with trying to stand up, huffing out another laugh at her excitement. "Hybrid! We- you- I- _we fused!"_

"Yeah." Steven couldn't help but grin, himself, so much that he found his cheeks were hurting. "Star Ruby's so cool-! They definitely get that arrogance from you, though," he threw in.

"They're not arrogant," Berry scoffed. "They're _confident_. What's wrong with being confident?" She grinned over at Lemon Lime when the Peridot finally hopped down from the warp pad; Steven watched her smile widen, just a little bit, when Lemon Lime huffed out a chuckle.

"Nothing. But, y'know, they definitely have a reason to _be_ arrogant…"

"Awh, you like Star," Berry teased. Steven marveled at her for a moment; she was in such a good mood, wasn't she? Had fusing really affected her that much? They definitely needed to do that again. Not just for her, but for him. Being Star Ruby was… something else entirely. Their _confidence_ , their excitement, their _love_ \- their love for everybody, including, shockingly, _him_ , it was everything he needed to feel. Being part of that was like a breath of fresh air, a wonderful break from everything else that had been going on in his life so far. And he was pretty sure Berry felt the same way; he had felt her excitement along with his, pulsing as bright as a fire.

Smiling, Steven leaned back on his feet, watching Berry and Lemon Lime exchange a few more playful words before the Peridot abruptly swept the Ruby up into his arms. She didn't fight him like she usually did, but she did squeal and shriek and writhe a little as she was pulled closer.

 _Haven't you noticed that I'm a star?  
_ _I'm coming into view as the world is turning…_

The hybrid paused, glancing up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

_Haven't you noticed, I made it this far?_

"You alright?" Pearl offered a light squeeze, while Amethyst wrapped her arm around the hybrid on his other side, pressing herself close to him in a half-hug. Steven huffed out a quiet, but genuinely content giggle, wrapping an arm around both her and the pale gem in return, and leaning into Garnet's hand as she pressed it down over his head, gently messing up his curls.

_Now everyone can see me burning._

"Yeah." Steven paused, looking over at Lemon Lime and Berry again. Then, after a moment, he turned his head a little to look toward the kitchen, resting his gaze on Peridot's gem once more. Sinking himself back against Garnet, he furrowed his eyebrows, letting his thoughts trail briefly. He couldn't do anything about Peridot right then, he knew that. He could stay home and watch over her gem as much as he wanted, but he knew she had to reform on her own, in her own time. There wasn't anything he could do for her until she pulled herself back out of her gem.

But, there were other things he needed to do, things he hadn't done. He hadn't gone into town. He hadn't really interacted with anybody else. He hadn't spent too much time with Connie, or even Greg. He didn't even think the rest of Beach City even knew he was back home, and alive. All this time had just been spent stressing and worrying over Homeworld. He could have been out there, talking with his old friends again, going around town and _remembering_ everything.

Maybe it was time to give himself a break. Maybe it was time to de-stress - Homeworld knows he'd had enough stress and worry the past eight months to last him a lifetime at this point.

He'd had enough grief, and pain, and heartache. And maybe it wasn't going to get any better, but he'd already proven he could still feel okay. He could, at least, still feel fine. He could feel good enough to push forward and keep moving on - not just for everybody else, but for himself, too. So maybe it was time to put everything else on the backburner for now, and go out and… and enjoy life. Enjoy it, and rejoice in the fact that he was even alive to begin with. The fact that after everything he'd been through, and seen, and even with what had happened to Lapis, and Mandarin… he was alive. He was alive, and he was okay, and he was, finally, back on Earth.

Back _home_.

For the first time, he just wanted to enjoy that.

_Now everyone can see me burning._

After a second, the hybrid took a deep breath and turned back to the gems, offering a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." And for the first time, he thought, maybe he was. Or, at least, he could be. Someday. Somehow. Eventually, he would be okay again. Eventually, it wouldn't hurt so much. And for now, he'd accept the moments it did, and he'd embrace the moments, rare as they were, where the pain faded to the background. "I think… I'm gonna head into town tomorrow."

Garnet's hand went still against his head, surprised, and Amethyst leaned back and glanced up at him, a startled look flickering across her face. "Really, dude?" You sure you're ready?"

_Now everyone can see me burning…_

"I…" Steven hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."


End file.
